The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1887-04-15
DIR WASHINGTON LETTER.

many of the musty regulations With which Re
nur,,icaa official life had hedsed itself in have
been oyerEaned and where there was no
GOOD ,eason for their existence, have been dis
continued They have no. all teen reiegated
TO the past however The rule which closes
the Government Department buildings to
visitors 1T two o'clock is still i'll force. much
10 the inconvenience of strangers.
1t is Il serious disappointment /" visitors
here only for Il few days and try ing 10 get as
much sightseeing rs p">>!hie into Il a tlme'
TO be shat OFT al eal lily an hour ton 50
many places Il interest They feel. and have
A right To fee that i'll a peoples Government
the peoples coayen c Ice ou-h' to be
considered a little. AMI that they s.ould b.
given what pleasure they can sct ON lie cor
ridoIs elel a ors, musciims ami ours !. vr,nns
of the br limg> is long lie Hey ara opened
for business.
Speaking of >i.htse.i,l. in the ID pirtmrntS,
| often think how monctoLorS must be the
duties # those otli .iil, who are dea5l' to
| exhibit the oi.jact, of interest to visitors. Bat
| tley Stow wo d 'rful freshness u III the me
worn business. There is not ins PIT rfunctoly
about the min who exhibits the II Y les gal
| ery. or the piles Of counterfeit money, or the
| secret service room. an! only person who
has a party of friends To escort there about
once a year can lr.iz. how many times he
has told III same ll.in"~ ","r. yet. always
with an ulf,iirg brig'IIn IS Of expression
and quainln IS Of humor.
| Senator C,ckre!l's investigating committee
| (the Senate Select {, mmittee which is now
| probing the methods Of work III the different
Executive Departments Of the Govelnmen)
has undertaken a gigantic task, but it will
make All elaborate report Of its labGrS some
| time in he future I lie NJ is, ouri Senator is
very conscientious, rains-Iakins man, and
he is giving Tie public Ulcers much annoyance
and no little uEeasiness. He wants to know
| (you know and tie number Of thinks the pub
! lie don't know and l;.t Senator Cockrell will
haze great deal of trouble in finding out is
astonishing.
The complaint is of.en made now that there
ia too much .red tape" and that the employ
ees of the Government have very few hours to
work and very little work within those hours
| as compared with persons employed i'll similar
capacities by private bushes, concerns. But
such annoyin. FEATURES are insrparab'y con-
nected with the theory of Government work.
1t must be pat Though by processes as nearly
mechanical as possible, 50 that the death oi
removal Of Il clerk may no; throw all ell l:e
off :e out of gear and 50 that the dishonesty Of
any one employee will be discovered when tie
work o.. which he practised it is turned over
| to another for the next Stage of its progress
| All this involves the reduction of business to
infinite detail and its distribution among a
multitude of people. Ii Sen itor. Cockrell and
| his committee can lind 4 way of simplify ing
these processes their discovery will be warm
! ~ welcomed. The resuls Of their labor can
not fail to b. of value and will certainly I've Of
interest, Astounding in Information which. to
the general public, is now in the nature of a
sealed book.
The committee is hot exp, cted to pass judg-
ment upon the civil service law, hut incident
ally the operations of the law will come I'M
der the parview CT the committee, and the lat
ter will be expected to answer such questions
| as the following. Is the Government any bet
ter served-the public business more rapidly
expedited the morals or the methods OF the
several Departments i'll any respect the gamer
how that what is called the ..spols system
! has been done away with :
| 1t is a matter Of 10 small importance. The
! people are told that the civil service law, in
its classified application, is working wonders
of reform, but they have only hearsay evil
dence to that tlleet. They are assured that it
is doing away with srea; deal OF tavoritism,
relieving the appointing power of much en-
barrassment, purifying tie channels of patron
ace, and elevaing the standard of clerical
| merit They are interested i'll knowing whether
civil service reform is really all that its friends
| claim or whether if is sham and humbuS
| as its enemies insist. Sci a,or Cockrells COM
mittea. with so good all opportunity could
an opportunity could find out all about it.